Pig DNA decoded, may lead to flu vaccine

Chicago: An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig, research that may one day prove useful in finding new treatments for both pigs and people, and perhaps aid in efforts for a new swine flu vaccine for pigs. Pigs and humans are similar in size and makeup, and swine are often used in human research. Scientists say they rely on pigs to study everything from obesity and heart disease to skin disorders. One of those ways could be the development of a swine flu vaccine for pigs to protect them from the new HINI virus that is spreading among people.

The US agriculture department announced last week that six pigs from the Minnesota state fair contracted the new HINI virus over the summer, the first report of pigs catching the virus in the United States. The hogs likely got it from fair goers, officials said.

The pig is the ideal animal to look at lifestyle and health issues in the US, said Larry Schook, a University of Illinois in champaign biomedical science professor who led the DNA sequencing project

Researchers announced the results of their work Monday at a meeting at the Welcome Trust Sanger institute of Hinxton, UK, one of the organisations involved in the research. They’ll spend the meeting discussing ways to use the new information, Schook said, AP has reported.